Author: Maral Takmazian

 11:36,

YEREVAN, APRIL 20, ARMENPRESS. United States Senator Robert Menendez has said that U.S. aid to Azerbaijan not only damages U.S. national security interests but also “flies in the face of our duty to honor the victims and survivors of the Armenian Genocide.” “And our duty to ensure that history does not repeat itself again,” he added.

Menendez, the Chair of the United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, was speaking at the Congressional Armenian Genocide Observance – 2023.

Watch Menendez’s speech start at 10:00 in the video below.

 11:31,

YEREVAN, APRIL 19, ARMENPRESS. Rep. Adam Schiff is calling on his U.S. Congressional colleagues to join him in demanding that the Commerce Department explain why it is considering licensing the sale of high powered U.S. rifles to Azerbaijan, in the face of Azerbaijan’s 125+ day blockade of Artsakh and ongoing attacks on Armenia, which left four Armenians dead and six injured just last week, reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).

“The same Biden Administration that continues shipping military aid to oil-rich Azerbaijan and has yet to investigate the discovery of U.S. parts in the Turkish drones deployed by Azerbaijan against Artsakh is now considering the direct sale of U.S. rifles to Azerbaijan, a dictatorship whose military openly executes unarmed Armenian POWs with rifles, then posts, trophy, videos of these killings on social media.”

“We join with Congressman Schiff, Senator Menendez, and all those – Democrats and Republicans – in the House and Senate who stand against this reckless arms sale.”

In a “Dear Colleague” letter to U.S. House members, Rep. Schiff is urging his colleagues to co-sign a letter to Secretary Raimondo seeking “additional information from the Commerce Department about the status of any requests for export licenses to send lethal weapons to Azerbaijan and safeguards to prevent U.S. weapons from being used in the commission of human rights violations.”

Rep. Schiff stated, “approving the export of more lethal weapons to be pointed at Armenia would only fuel conflict, especially in the hands of security forces with a history of human rights violations. The State Department’s 2022 Human Rights Report documents ‘credible reports of unlawful killings involving summary executions of Armenian soldiers in Azerbaijani custody,’ torture, and cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment with high levels of impunity.”

Members of Congress have until Friday, April 21st to co-sign the letter to Secretary Raimondo. The ANCA is working with regional and local affiliates to encourage broad bi-partisan support for the letter.

News of a possible sale of U.S. rifles – including assault-style and semi-automatic sniper models – to Azerbaijan broke on February 1st when Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chair Robert Menendez (D-NJ) announced his “deep concern and strong opposition” to the proposed sale.

“The export of weapons to an authoritarian country that wages war against a neighbor, blockades a vulnerable population, and commits rampant human rights violations at home is not consistent with the Administration’s commitment to democracy and human rights,” Sen. Menendez stated in a letter to Secretary Raimondo. “Further, the consideration of this export license further compounds my dismay that the Administration continues to allow the export of assault-style and sniper rifles abroad – even while supporting an assault-style rifle ban domestically – and deepens my reservations about the Department of Commerce having jurisdiction over such exports,” concluded Senator Menendez.

ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian and the local ANC chair from Secretary Raimondo’s home state of Rhode Island, Steve Elmasian, expressed similar concerns in a February 13th letter to Secretary Raimondo. “As you know, from your long friendship with Americans of Armenian heritage in Rhode Island and across the United States, our community is deeply troubled by the U.S. military aid program to Baku, and even more shocked by the possibility that American offensive weaponry may be deployed against Armenians in Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh) and Armenia. The victims of Azerbaijan’s attacks are, very often, the relatives and friends of Armenian American citizens,” stated Hamparian and Elmasian.

 11:13, 7 April 2023

YEREVAN, APRIL 7, ARMENPRESS. U.S. Department of Commerce Assistant Secretary for Global Markets Arun Venkataraman has arrived in Armenia, the US Embassy reported.

Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan will hold a meeting with Assistant Secretary Venkataraman, according to the embassy.

“During his April 6-8 visit, Assistant Secretary Venkataraman will meet with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and give opening remarks at the U.S.-Armenia Strategic Dialogue, during which he will underscore the United States’ interest in deepening commercial ties and promoting commercial partnerships between both countries, particularly in the energy sector,” the US embassy said in a statement.

 12:10,

YEREVAN, MARCH 31, ARMENPRESS. The President of the Regional Council of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Laurent Wauquiez has called for practical steps for not allowing Azerbaijan’s violations of international law in Armenia, Artsakh and the Lachin Corridor to be overlooked.

The head of the French region is now visiting Armenia.

On March 31 he met with Nagorno Karabakh’s Foreign Minister Sergey Ghazaryan in Yerevan.

Speaking at a joint press conference, Wauquiez described himself as a longtime friend of Armenia and Artsakh and said that he’s shocked by the current situation.

“In 2019, we met with representatives of Artsakh and signed a cooperation agreement between my region and Artsakh. We’d adopted a political position in my region to confirm Artsakh’s right to independence, which led to serious pressures by Pan-Turkist terrorist organizations against me and my family. Why am I here today? Because I am well aware that the entire international attention is on Ukraine and there is a serious danger for Armenia and Artsakh to be forgotten in all of this. I am here to say that we are not forgetting you, you are not alone, and we shouldn’t allow the violations of international law in Armenia, Artsakh and Lachin Corridor to go unnoticed in silence,” Wauquiez said.

The President of the Regional Council of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes visited the entrance of the blockaded Lachin Corridor in Syunik to show to his countrymen the violations of international law, that 120,000 people on the other side are deprived of basic human rights.

“I was with the Governor of Syunik the moment he was notified that an advance had taken place the day before where we were located at that time [Tegh village]. I have witnessed and can testify about the violation of international law. I have also seen the Azerbaijani flags hoisted on the heights located in Armenian lands. And I had the chance to speak with displaced persons of Artsakh, whose words were deeply touching. As a politician, it is my duty to take action and be able to help you,” he said.

Wauquiez said that they want to organize a humanitarian convoy jointly with the organizations representing the Armenian community of France and try to deliver humanitarian aid to Artsakh.

“The convoy will be organized with our region’s support and will bear our region’s flag. It will approach the Lachin Corridor and we will demand passage to Artsakh. Either the convoy will pass and we will have a ray of hope, or the convoy will be barred and it will give us the opportunity to present this issue before international and European organizations, that once again the international law is being violated, and that actions must be taken,” Wauquiez added.

[see video]

 11:01, 21 March 2023

YEREVAN, MARCH 21, ARMENPRESS. United States Congressman Adam Schiff (D-CA) is collecting signatures on a U.S. House letter calling out newly appointed US Senior Advisor for Caucasus Negotiations Louis Bono for ruling out U.S. sanctions against Azerbaijan for its 100-day blockade of Artsakh/Nagorno Karabakh, the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) reported.

On March 8th of this year – deep into the second month of Azerbaijan’s blockade, Bono, on his first official trip to the region as Special U.S. Advisor, stated publicly: “This is not a time for sanctions… Sanctions would be counter-productive. It’s not even under consideration at this point.”

The Schiff-led Congressional letter addressed to Bono states, in part: “We are deeply concerned by your reported comments during the trip ruling out the use of economic and diplomatic sanctions against Azerbaijan for their clear aggression. It was reported that you stated, “this is not a time for sanctions … it’s not even under consideration at this point.” As 120,000 innocent people remain deprived of their basic rights in Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) for a third month, due to a blockade that the International Court of Justice (World Court) has ordered Azerbaijan to lift, this is not the time to take any tools off the table.”

In closing, the signatories affirm that: “The United States, the President of the United States, the U.S. State Department, and entire Administration must use all tools at its disposal to ensure the safety of the people of Artsakh, now and in the future, including cessation of financial support to Azerbaijan and imposition of sanctions.”

 12:16, 21 March 2023

YEREVAN, MARCH 21, ARMENPRESS. The body of a newborn baby has been found in a forest near the Goris-Stepanakert road, authorities said Tuesday.

The body of the newborn girl, half-covered with a sheet, was found on the ground near the area referred to as “Nor Zanger” by a farmer on March 20 who then called the Goris Police Department, the Ministry of Internal Affairs Press Department Director Zarzand Gabrielyan told ARMENPRESS.

An investigation by Goris authorities is underway.